Extra Credit Reader Response
Instead of our Wiki Response you can do your extra credit on the blog in the comments section below due by 9/28. Read Coal Smoke from New Stories from the South 2004, by Silas House (pictured below). One paragraph 5-7 sentences in length. How does this story exemplify Grit Lit as a genre? Also, what does Lynn see in Gary Dean? What is significant about the way the characters communicate with one another? At the end of the story no one can hear Lynn over the loud music–what can you say about this kind of sensory deprivation–to be surrounded by people but unable to communicate with any of them? 5 bonus points.
I wouldn’t swear to it, but did Silas use my name to create a repulsive fictional character? I once met him at a reading in Wilmington, NC. Since I was a boy people have misunderstood my name as Gary. I often wonder how he knew I was such a good dancer though? What I like best about House–he is a great writer. What I like least about him–he is younger than me. Silas House is the author of novels: Clay’s Quilt, A Parchment of Leaves, and The Coal Tattoo. House was awarded the Appalachian Writers’ Association Book of the Year Award and the Kentucky Novel of the Year Award for the Coal Tattoo. His new novel, Eli the Good, which will be published in 2008.
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As a genre, grit lit is full of the bizarre and grotesque as well as a strange obsession with the church. In Silas House’s short story, “Coal Smoke”, the main character’s father became very involved in the church after being paralyzed in a car accident. The members of the congregation try to “heal” him by praying over him and speaking in tongues. Lynn holds out hope that these people will save her father. She hopes God will come through for her. When her father dies she blames the church and refuses to have anything to do with them. Although she has a deep disdain for the church she also has a conflicting respect for the church as well. She feels it is disrespectful to have a Christmas tree in the honky-tonk bar that she attends.
“Coal Smoke” also has its fair share of the grotesque. Lynn is involved with a rather surly fellow. She seems to be really into cocaine and drinks heavil. Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the story is Lynn’s more-than-platonic feelings for her brother, Dooley. She is constantly touching him and tries to kiss him when they are dancing together.
“Coal Smoke” by Silas Houseexemplifies Southern Grit Lit by the grotesque alienation that Lynn finds herself trapped in. Her father died, apparently caused by Lynn’s wild night out, leaving her with a mother that blames Lynn and barely speaks to her. God seems to walk out on her when no one in the church was able to save her father. Even her much loved younger brother Dooley is distanced when he brings home a “high-class” girl and swears that he will not return to his back woods home and sister.
The only person that seems to be there for her is Gary Dean. His hands remind Lynn of her father’s and his pysical stance brings attention when they walk into the honky tonks. Other than that, Lynn finds herself with a cocaine dealing stranger. She feels ultimately alone when she stand in the middle of the dance floor with no one hearing her plea to leave. She has reached the bottom of her problems.
“Coal Smoke” shows great examples of Grit Lit. You have a character, Lynn, that is having great problems with herself, her family, and religion. I noticed that in a lot of the stories that we have read these themes show up almost all of the time. Also when you read the story the way that the author is able to explain so many of the details shows that this is Grit Lit. Alienation is a big message in this short story. She is alienated from her mother, the death of her father, and the church.
I think the reason that Lynn mostley likes Gary Dean is that he reminds her so much of her father. She said that the first reason that she fell for him was his hands, which were so much like her dad’s. I also think that Gary Dean gets rid of his problems so much like Lynn does. She said in the story that she doesn’t want to change from the girl that partied and she needs a man that parties too.
The communication between the characters is very odd. You can tell that there is a problem between the family. I think that when Lynn becomes drunk and tries to kiss her brother I think she does this because he reminds her so much of their father. I think that Lynn blames herself so much for the accident that she tries everything for everyone to notice her. She likes the attention that she draws and she needs that attention because she is so alienated.
When Lynn is in the middle of the dance floor and no one could hear her. I think this is just symbolic for how Lynn feels all the time. I think that she thinks no one can relate to her and the baggage that she carries around. This shows that with all these people around her that are rooting for her, she is still very, very alone.
In Silas House’s, “Coal Smoke” many elements that we have seen in each of the grit lit stories are presented. Grit lit stories are comprised of religious situations, bizarre familial situations, and grotesque situations, among other characteristics. “Coal Smoke” features all three of these characteristics. Lynn’s father was saved by the church right before her died, and Lynn constantly hopes that God will come through for her and save her from spiraling even more out of control. Lynn is alienated from her entire family as well, drowning her loneliness in drugs and alcohol, along with the companionship of a rather shady character named Gary Dean.
Lynn’s mother blames her for the death of her father, and her younger brother Dooley is off at college, emotionally and physically distanced from the rest of the family. When Dooley comes to visit and brings Tara, Lynn only feels more out of place and alone. She has a strange obsession with Dooley, and drunkenly makes a move on him while they are dancing at the bar. With her father’s death always in the back of her mind, Lynn abuses substances frequently in typical grit lit fashion to fill the void of loneliness that she is sinking lower and lower into.
This story exemplifies Grit Lit as a genre by introducing characters with irritable personalities and insane characteristics who are always looking for an overly satisfying amount of attention. Within this story, Lynn, one of the main characters, has a boyfriend named Gary Dean. I never actually realized this during the story, but the author does not truly mention anything about how Lynn actually feels about Gary, just that he has big hands, and that she loves his hands. She also likes the way that most guys won’t dance with you after they “get a hold” of you, but Gary will dance with Lynn anytime. She also likes his belly. It seems as if Lynn is more attracted to his physical characteristics more so than his mentality. In addition to the relationship between Gary and Lynn, other relationships within the story include Lynn’s brother Dooley, their mother, and Dooley’s girlfriend Tara. The characters interact with one another in different ways. Lynn and Gary are a couple, Lynn and Dooley are best friends, the mother does not act like a mother to Lynn because she believes that it was her fault that the husband/father died, but with Dooley, the mother cares for him very much. Dooley cares for Tara very much, and this emotion is mutual, yet, in the text, it seems as if Lynn has a hard time excepting Tara because she’s “not like them”. At the end of the story, no one can hear Lynn over the loud music. I feel sorry for her at this point, but I also feel as if it is her own fault because if she wasn’t intoxicated, she would then be able to explain more thoroughly that she needed a ride home—or at least be able to deal with her issues on her own.
“Coal Smoke” is a good example of Grit Lit because it exposes the truly sad lives of characters presented to be southern, with the exception of Tara. Silas House extended the genre as well by simply mixing the faults of his characters with excessive indulgence. As for Lynn, her attraction for Gary Dean seems to be a fixation on feeding her addictions, rather than how she likes his dancing ability. The significance behind the communication between the characters lies with the truth they speak. Each person has no problem expressing their true feelings with each other, no matter how weird or perverse they are. As for the spiraling ending to the story, I feel that the author wanted to show Lynn’s addiction ultimately catching up with her. To do this, he showed how helpless she felt while simultaneously keeping you from caring for her suffering from self-infliction.
Hey y’all…A friend of mine sent me a link to this website and I was glad to see that so many students really GET the story “Coal Smoke.” It took me a long time to get that one published because a lot of editors did NOT get it. And now it’s probably my most widely read short story. Anyway, thanks to you all for reading the story and for talking about it and for understanding it. What a great class…wish I could take it.
Best,
Silas House